In its first ten years the townsite of Cooperstown was
governed by the county and Township. In 1892 a petition was
presented to the county commissioners asking for an election on the
question of incorporating as a village. The election was held, and
the Village of Cooperstown, population 433, came into being. Percy
Trubshaw was appointed mayor pro-tem until the second election to elect
village officers.
Electors, all male and 21, or over, selected a board of
three trustees, a marshal, clerk, assessor, and justice of the peace.
Three districts were drawn along lines that are not far from the present
ward boundaries.
The first board voted not to take any salary for
themselves. The marshal was to be paid a salary, and the justice
of the peace was to take what he could in fines,
The new board was made up of:
John Ole |
District I |
David Bartlett |
District II |
John Syverson |
District III |
Will H. Carleton |
Clerk |
K. Hegge |
Marshal |
J.D. Johnson |
Assessor |
E.W. Blackwell |
Treasurer |
T.E. Warner |
Justice of Peace |
J.C. Flynn |
was appointed as town poundmaster. |
Bartlett |
was named president of the council, thus
mayor |
Fire protection, traffic control, streets and sidewalks,
sanitation, crime control, utilities franchises, annexation of property
and livestock control were among the needs addressed by the village
council. Members of the present day city council might ponder the
fact that the first dog ordinance was passed in May of 1897, and sounded
not too different from those now in effect. Every few years a new
one was added to the books.
The details of early laws and council action differ from
todays in some respects as in the problem of fire protection. In
1893 the council paid Andrew Johnson $16 to plow a firebreak. The
1894 ordinance establishing the fire zone specifies that ashes must be
kept in closed fireproof containers and not dumped on the ground, and
that loose straw, manure, paper or other combustibles must not be left
out in the open; and that stovepipes leading up through the roof must be
encased in a chimney. (The fire zone limits were revised sometimes
but in general they have always included the four blocks that comprise
the downtown business district.) Shooting of fireworks was prohibited
and it was forbidden to run a steam engine within the fire limits.
A look at the laws of a community gives an insight into
the community's habits, needs, and way of life. Early fire
ordinances were designed to protect residents of a town whose buildings
were of wood and who may have been a wee bit careless with ashes.
Another early ordinance (1893) established 11 p.m. as closing time for
any "pool rooms, billiard room, game room or drinking resort."
In 1894 the council assessed $500 for roads and passed the
first speed law: "any person or persons driving or riding animals at
more than a moderate speed shall be guilty of a misdemeanor."
A later ordinance in 1894 prohibited driving or riding
animals or vehicles on the sidewalks. In 1896 that prohibition was
extended to bicycles on the sidewalks of Burrell Avenue between 8th and
10th Streets. In 1915 that was amended to include children on
roller skates, coaster wagons, scooters and like contrivances.
At the same time that the village was spending $500 on the
streets, the council was overseeing the building of a network of board
sidewalks over town. In rain or snow the streets were not in good
condition for pedestrians. Probably they were not safe either, if
animals were being driven at more than a moderate speed.
Sidewalk Ordinance.
It is hereby ordered that a wooden
sidewalk be constructed in the village of Cooperstown, on Burrell
avenue, on the south end of lots 14, 15, 16 and 17, of block 60, said
walk to be built of new two-inch plank not, less than six inches wide
and twelve feet long, and laid upon four two by eight stringers, laid
lengthwise of said street and on the side next said street to be
supported by a stone wall laid in mortar the same as the balance of the
walk on said street: said walk to be laid on uniform incline from
the east side of lot thirteen to the west side of lot eighteen.
The owners of said lots are hereby notified to cause
said walk to be built within thirty days from the date hereof, or the
village will construct the same and cause the costs to be taxed up
against said lots.
Cooperstown, N. D, July 13, 1897
By order if the board of trustees,
Will H. Carleton
Clerk
In October 1894, the village board ordered a
sidewalk built in a zigzag course from 10th and Burrell (Syverson Store
corner) to the south side of Block 18 (high school).
April 2, 1895, the village contracted with Waterous Fire
Engine Works Company of St. Paul for fire equipment:
One #2 steam fire engine
Hose and hose cart
A 450 lb. fire bell with frame for hanging
Two fire hooks for pulling down buildings
Two weeks later a fire department was organized and Maynard Crane was
elected chief.
In June bids were called on an engine house, and the
council accepted Henry Haugen's bid to have it enclosed and in shape by
July 19 for $270. Contractor Moffatt was low bidder at $85 on the
14' x 12' cistern, guaranteed not to leak. For the next several
years the council bought a lot of hose and other fire-fighting
equipment.
But back to controlling the unruly.
A rather broad nuisance ordinance was written early on:
"When in the opinion of the board there exists in the town anything that
is in their opinion injurious to the health or morals or adds to danger
of fire or is unclean or obscene they may by resolution order the same
removed or abated." In the spirit of the original, new ordinances
were added prohibiting the picketing of stock on streets and alleys and
mandating that residents must keep their outhouses ready for inspection.
A later ordinance required that outhouses be cleaned at night. At
later times, various moves were made to protect community morals.
And, during the summer months when the transient
population was greatest, a night watchman was hired to help the town
marshal. The salary of the night watchman was $50 a month in
1897.
The bicycle craze in the gay nineties led to a city
ordinance regulating bicycle traffic. In 1897 the council voted to
adjust the assessments on 16 bikes.
In 1897 the village of Cooperstown organized a special
school district. (A special district is one that supports a high
school). Women were permitted to vote in the election, and to hold
school offices. David Bartlett became president of the school
board. He had previously served as the village's first mayor and
as a member of the state constitutional convention. Bartlett also
served North Dakota as Lt. Governor. Mrs. R.M. Cowan was the first
woman on the board and the others were F.J. Stone, O.A. Melgaard and
Andrew Berg.
In 1898 the village bought land from Knud Thompson for a
dump ground.
The next year Northwestern Telephone Exchange Company,
received approval for telephone service and permission to run poles,
wires and facilities in streets, alleys and public ground.
In 1903 a franchise was issued for an electric power
plant.
The last order for a wooden sidewalk was dated June 1,
1904. By the next year, the Cooperstown Tile Works was in business
and ordinance decreed that all sidewalks thereafter must be of block or
stone (concrete).
The village allocated $6000 for the general fund in 1904,
up considerably from the 1901 levy of $3500.
In November 1906 the residents voted to incorporate as a
City.
Minutes of the early years were written in longhand.
Will Carleton and Basil Edmondson served long years as clerk of the
council.
Source: Cooperstown, North Dakota 1882-1982 Centennial page 27